ELLIOTT’S E-MAIL
First aid for travel
July 4, 2007
7 secrets for a sizzling summer vacation. This week’s issue is bursting at the seams with useful advice, from helpful summer travel strategies learned on the set of What You Get For The Money: Vacations to articles about conquering long airport lines, renting the right car and staying at a hotel for free. (Yes, free.) This is shaping up to be a challenging summer for travel, so be careful out there, friends. And here’s wishing you a great Fourth of July holiday.
» Read this week’s newsletter online.
This issue of Elliott’s E-Mail is underwritten by Cheapflights.com, which lets you search and compare flights to find the lowest-priced airfare for your next trip. Get the details at Cheapflights.com.
FIRST | Random thoughts about the week in travel
Burning question … Do you feel as if your airline, hotel, car rental company or cruise line is listening to you? You’ve no doubt seen those guest-comment cards in your hotel room. Do you think anyone is reading them? How about when you phone your airline? Do you feel there’s someone on the other end who cares? Here’s your chance to sound off about the travel industry’s listening skills. Are they getting better at it — or worse? Send me a note or shoot me an IM (celliottlive on AIM).
Catch an all-new episode on Saturday! What does $1,500 buy when it comes to an incredible vacation experience? Find out in the next episode of What You Get for the Money: Vacations. We make stops in Hawaii, Colorado and Virginia. Here are the details.
Sign up for the RSS feed! You don’t have to wait until Wednesday to get the great content from Ellipses and the Travel Troubleshooter. Subscribe for Elliott’s RSS feed and you’ll get the news as it happens.
SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline
One vacation for the price of two — When Delta Air Lines cancels the return portion of Sara Grimm’s Puerto Rico getaway, Travelocity’s solution is to refund Grimm’s first vacation package and then have her book a completely new one. She does that, but weeks later, there’s no sign of the money she charged for the first trip. Should Grimm dispute the charges with her credit card company — or is there a better way? (From The Troubleshooter)
How to conquer long airport lines — Here are seven ideas for getting around long lines at the airport, whether they’re at the check-in counter, terminal restaurant or car rental agency. (From National Geographic Traveler)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by FirstClassFlyer.com, the only tool you need to fly first class for the price of coach — or close to it. Looking for free and purchased upgrades, two-for-ones and a fast-track to elite status strategies? Look no further than FirstClassFlyer.com
BLOGGED | New posts on Ellipses
The truth about the worst summer for air travel ever — The latest government airline numbers are out this morning, and they’re bound to cause yet another round of hyperventilating. They show an overall on-time arrival rate of 77.9 percent in May, down from 78.3 percent in May 2006. Can I hear another “this-is-going-to-be-the-worst-summer-for-air-travel-ever”? (From Ellipses)
JetBlue’s bizarre but funny blogging stunt — This may be one of the strangest — and possibly the funniest — guest-blogging engagements I’ve ever seen. Cartoon character Montgomery Burns of the Simpsons “took over” David Neeleman’s blog at JetBlue today. (From Ellipses)
Dangerous roads: the 10 deadliest states to drive in — Which states have the most dangerous roads? A study by the National Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) at the University of Minnesota claims to have the answer, but you probably couldn’t guess the winners even if you tried. You’d pick states with busy roads like New York, Florida, California and Illinois. I did. And I was wrong. (From Ellipses)
7 secrets for a sizzling summer vacation — This summer’s soaring gas prices, airfares and hotel rates are making the great American vacation less affordable than it’s been in years. But it doesn’t have to be for you. Here are seven secrets for saving money — and having a sizzling summer vacation — that I discovered while shooting my new TV show, What You Get For The Money: Vacations. (From Ellipses)
Are car rental companies double dipping on damage claims? — One of the most common complaints I get from car rental customers is that they’re being charged for damages that they weren’t responsible for. They wonder if the companies are double-dipping — charging multiple customers for the same repair — as at least one franchisee has admitted to doing. But proving that kind of behavior is difficult. (From Ellipses)
FLASHBACK | A retrospective from the Elliott archives
More tips for a better trip. A retrospective of good advice for your next vacation.
5 keys to getting the right rental — To most travelers, a rental car is an afterthought – as in, “Oh, will I need a car while I’m there?” at the end of a reservation. And that’s unfortunate. True, the auto rental only accounts for 9% of the average corporate travel budget, according to Runzheimer International. But over several trips, that can add up to a lot of money.
(From Power Trip)
How to stay in a hotel for free — Next time you stay at a hotel, get “comped.” The “comp,” which is industry jargon for getting a complimentary room for a night, is the ultimate hotel perk. A free room means you’re someone special, like a frequent guest, a high-roller or just a really, really good negotiator. And free, as I explained in an earlier column on flying for nothing, is a lot better than cheap. (From Power Trip)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by the Alaska Travelgram, which gives you the inside scoop on Alaska, with information on activities, accommodations, hot air fare deals and secret insider tips — from the folks who live there. Subscribe here. It’s free.
POSTCARDS | The latest from Elliott’s personal photo blog
Crawl before you walk — Erysse practices her crawling technique, which consist of slowly shuffling backwards. It’s only a matter of time before she gets that whole forward motion thing … and then it’s off to the races.
Showoff! — He missed his chance to take this sci-fi toy for a spin during Star Wars weekend, so Aren came back to MGM Studios today. It was a slow day at the park, and he had plenty of time to show off for Mommy.
TALKBACK | How to sound off about this site
Read something you disagree with? Got a story idea or a gripe? Here’s how to be heard:
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Elliott’s E-Mail is published 50 times a year by Christopher Elliott. (c) 2007 Christopher Elliott.
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